Reconciliation- Lan Tung (2014), lyrics by Fan, yun(451—503)
– voice, zheng, percussion
Set to a haunting melody, this poem expresses the deepest sorrow of the Weaver Woman, separated from her lover by the Celestial River or Milky Way. The poem made references to a number of ancient legends to express her loneliness: A bird named Jingwei 精衛 was once a little boy. One day he drowned in the ocean. His soul turned into a bird and was forever dropping stones to fill the ocean in revenue of his death. The Green Bird appeared from heaven on a mid summer night is a symbol for love in a story of the Han Wu Emperor (156-87 BC). The final sentence came from another story. A king captured a beautiful bird. Three years has passed, the bird never sang. The queen suggested to place the bird in front of a mirror, expecting it to sing when it sees a companion. The bird made the saddest cry and died.
盈盈一水邊, Next to the shimmering water
夜夜空自憐。 Embrace my loneliness every night
不辭精衛苦, I am not afraid of Jingwei’s hardship
河流未可填。 But the Celestial River can not be filled with stones
寸情百重结, My heart has hundreds of knots
一心萬處懸。 A heart that is hung over ten thousand places
願作双青鳥, I wish that we can be a pair of Green Birds
共舒明鏡前。 See our reflections in the clear mirror
~南朝诗人范雲作《望織女詩》.